Category Archives: Ancient India

The Epic Post – Shakuntala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

And last an interesting peek into the making of the dress of ancient heroines, including  Shakuntala, in the Amar Chitra Katha comics. No doubt a Shakuntala of the 21st century would again be quite different (though we can perhaps skip this soap opera … Continue reading →

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The Epic Post – Shakunatala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

Shakuntala has also been filmed a fair bit. Surprisingly MS Subbulakshmi dispensed with a blouse in the Tamil movie Sakunthalai (directed by the American, Ellis R Dungan).  Other film depictions like V Shantaram’s also discard the blouse. All employ a number of flower garlands … Continue reading →

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The Epic Post – Shakuntala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

  Sacontala says goodbye to Madhavi. Illustration for La Civilizacion by Don Pelegrin Casabo Y Pages (Mir, Tarradas, Comas, 1881-82). Shakuntala first appeared in the West in a William Jones translation and its not surprising the German romantics loved the drama. Subsequently Theophile … Continue reading →

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The Epic Post – Shakunatala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M
Posted in Ancient India, Art, India, Literature, Romance, Sari, Sari Blouse | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Epic Post – Shakuntala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

Though the depiction of Shakuntala varies and very rarely does she wear bark, in most cases the artist retains a simplicity of clothing given Shakuntala’s forest beginnings.   As in this watercolour by Kshitindranath Majumdar which hews to the usual representation of a strapless … Continue reading →

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The Epic Post – Shakuntala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

Kalipada Ghoshal retains the bark in his painting of Shakuntala.  Though I am not entirely sure about Dushyanta’s attire.

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The Epic Post – Shakuntala

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

How would an ancient Indian heroine dress? Kalidasa writing Abhijnanasakuntalam in the 4th cent. AD gives Shakuntala, forest maiden turned queen, a dress of bark and later a dress of white loveliness when she goes to meet her lover, Dushyanta.

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Shakuntala in Painting and Film

Posted on 13/10/2012 by Anu M

A few posts on the attire of the heroine of the romantic epic, Abhijnanasakuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala).

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The Mythology Post

Posted on 16/08/2012 by Anu M

Though I have posted a lot on blouse “borrowings” from the West, one thing that differentiates the Indian version is that the midriff is normally exposed.  There is a long history to the choli/kanchuki and modern representations of historical attire often … Continue reading →

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